This Is Not My Reality
by Twiki99
Summary: What would happen if our favorite actor suddenly found himself in the Spy World  he portrayed.  Could he convince them he really wasn't Chuck?  Would they believe him?
1. Chapter 1

Title:This is not my Reality  
>Author: Twiki99<br>Date Posted: Sept , 2011  
>Rating: K<br>Codes: Chuck/Zachary  
>Archive: Here anywhere else. <em>Please<em> ask first  
>Disclaimer: <em>NBC and Warner Brothers and Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz own Chuck. <em>_ The story is mine. I am not making a dime on this. I am doing this and other stories for purely mine and others enjoyment._

Summary: What would happen if our favorite actor suddenly found himself in the Spy World he portrayed. Could he convince them he really wasn't Chuck? Would they believe him? Feedback is welcome.

**A/N this my first Chuck Fiction but its an idea I've had for a while. I hope you enjoy it and please read and review. We writers thrive on reviews! I also, after posting this chapter, came across a story in the vast Chuck stories titled Chuck vs Zach. It was a short story about a what would happen if the real actors started a romance or so I think that's what the author intended. It was posted in 2008 and has never been updated, so I guess the author won't now. Some of the reviews said they didn't like to mix the real actors into a story so maybe that's why. Anyway, I have changed the title of the story as I don't want to step on another author's toes, and hope my story doesn't offend anyone. I just like to think like this...What if?**

Chapter one

It was a little past four am and Zac was still a little tired. He'd been foolish enough to stay up too late playing that new video game and now he was paying for it. He sighed as he slumped back into the back seat of the limo as it made its way to the lot. He had an early call today and was due in make up at five fifteen am. Usually he drove himself, but this last week,with the late work hours and the early calls, he had been driven by the limo company. They were working on the first Three D episode to ever be filmed for a TV show, and they had been working long, long hours. He knew that their executive producer/director Robbie Mcneill had been trying to shorten the hours a bit, but with the extra technology it took to film it, he'd only been able to make sure they would get off early the last day of filming which was in two days. He really had to admire the older man. He was an excellent director, and Zac was hoping to get a chance to direct a few episodes. He knew that coming up through the Star Trek ranks, he had been given the chance to direct and learn his craft and Zac was hoping to get the same type of chance,as Robbie was what was referred to as an actor's director. He always tried to look out for them. Zac had learned a lot watching him and the guest directors who had come through. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He still had about forty five minutes till he got there and so he decided to try and get a little more sleep. The movement of the car lulled him into sleep.

Suddenly, he was on set and in the Castle set. Yvonne and Adam were standing off to the side talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Something seemed different, but he couldn't put his finger on what was different. He just knew something was out of place. He turned his head and his eyes widened. Where the crew and camera's normally were, there was only a wall with several guns and what looked like grenades lining the wall. He kept looking around and saw that he indeed was in a room and not the set. He closed his eyes and then opened them again. He was still there, but where? He shook his head and tried to clear the cobwebs out. He again looked towards his two fellow actors and noticed that they were both looking at him with a worried look on their faces...

With a jerk, Zac sat up and realized he was still in the limo. He felt a little disoriented and saw that they had pulled into the Warner Brothers lot. He must have been dreaming. He grinned to himself as the driver said

"Sorry Mr. Levi, I took that speed bump a little to fast."

"No problem, Jack."

They pulled up to the Chuck set, and Jack stopped. Zac picked up the script he had with him and started to open the door, but before he got out, he said

"We should be done filming around seven tonight, see you then."

He flashed his patten smile at the driver who returned the smile and said

"I'll be waiting right here for you Mr. Levi."

"See you then."

Zac made his way to the make up trailer and went in. Jack watched him go. He had driven many stars in his career, but he really liked driving Zachary Levi. He was a decent fellow and treated everyone with respect. He was a true star.

Zac opened the trailer door and entered to see that Adam Baldwin was already there. He looked up at the younger man and nodded and said

"You look like the cat just dragged you in."

Zac dropped into the chair next to him and let go with a big yawn. Sheepishly he said

"I know, I know I was just going to play that new game for a couple of hours last night, but before I knew it it was past eleven."

Adam just gave him the patten 'Casey' grunt and shook his head as he said

"You know, kid, at some point you need to get some sleep. You keep going like this and you will burn yourself out."

"I know, but it's so additive!"

Zac loved everything 'nerdy' and gaming was his passion. He settled back as the makeup girl came over to start on his transformation. He smiled at her and said

"Morning Sue, how are you today?"

She blushed a bit and said

"I'm fine, Mr. Levi."

He raised his hand and said

"Zac...how many times have I told you to call me Zac?"

She nodded and smiled back

"Right Zac."

To the left of him he heard a grunt. Adam was always into character, but sometimes he wondered if it wasn't really a part of Adam, and not just a Casey thing. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He began to think about the dream he had on the way into the studio and thought how strange it had been. It had felt almost real. He decided to mention it to Adam and he said

"Adam, I had the strangest dream on the way here this morning. We were on the Castle set, and suddenly it was real. Like a real place...weird. You and Yvonne were talking and I couldn't make out what you were saying, but the prop guns on the wall, they were real. And there were no camera's or crew...it was plain creepy..."

He trailed off and turned slightly to look at his co star. Adam had a small smile on his face as he looked at him. After a moment, he reached out and tapped him on the head and said

"That's what happens when you don't get enough sleep..."

Zac looked at him for a few moments and then laughed.

"I guess so...just a sleep deprived hallucination...still it felt so real..."

The door to the trailer opened and Josh Gomez walked in already in his Buy More green shirt. He had three cups of Starbucks coffee with him.

"Hey buddy how's it hangin? Did you try that new game last night?"

Both he and Zac were gamesters and sometimes they'd get together for an all niter. They were best buddies on the show, and they had bonded off set also. He handed one cup to Adam and the other he handed to Zac, who gratefully took a sip of the hot beverage. He had not had time to have a cup before the limo had picked him up and he was in dire need of the caffeine. He smiled and said

"Thanks buddy, I need that."

"Sure no trouble."

Josh sat in the third chair and continued

"So how did you like the game?"

"It was fun, but..."

Before he could finish Adam said

"He almost stayed up all night playing it. The numb-nuts lost sleep and now he's going to be wired on coffee all day."

Both Zac and Josh laughed and Zac said

"OK... 'Casey'... I'll try to keep it to just ten cups today!"

They all loved it when Adam reverted to Casey, and would tease him about it. But he'd just grunt at them and make them laugh even harder.

They had been re-shooting this particular scene now for over a hour. Even Zac, who usually never lost his cool was starting to get a little peeved. Something always went wrong. First, someone had dropped something and had messed up the scene and then for some reason, a helicopter had flown over really low ruining the scene. Then there was some technical problem, and now for some reason, Zac was flubbing his lines. He was mostly peeved at himself for that, as he had the reputation of always knowing his lines. He thought back again as Robbie yelled 'cut' of the sleep he had missed last night. Robbie started over to Zac, who threw up his hands and said

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...it's my fault..."

He was close to tears as he was a very emotional person, and he always wanted to be perfect in his work. Robbie laid his arm on Zac's shoulder and said

"Zac, it's okay, don't worry so much. I know it's been a long morning, and once we get this scene shot, I'll call lunch break. You seem to be having a problem with this scene, whats going on?"

Zac was grateful for the support from Robbie, and he appreciated that he never got upset with the crew or the actors. It went back to being an actor himself, and he knew that he understood the problems with doing a series on TV. Now he looked at the director and said

"I know, its my fault for staying up too late last night...you see Josh gave me a new game for my Xbox and..."

Robbie just smiled at him and said

"You know, Zac, when you get to be my age, sleep is an important part of your life."

Before Zac could reply, he continued

"I know, when I was doing Voyager, I was in my early thirties, and I thought that I could go on just a few hours of sleep too."

He got a faraway look on his face as he seemed to be remembering his days with Voyager.

"Of course what would keep me up was a couple of rambunctious kids who wanted to play with daddy or a daughter who wanted to talk about a certain Vulcan named Tuvok. Could never understand why she was so fascinated with him...after all I flew the ship!"

Zac was smiling now and wondering for the umpteenth time how Robbie had gotten him to relax and feel better.

"Now, are we ready to shoot this last scene before we break for lunch?"

"Sure...and thanks Robbie."

"Don't mention it...Chuck."

They all retook their marks and as Zac took a deep breath, he hear Robbie say

"And...action."

The scene went without a hitch, and as Zac said his last line, suddenly he felt a dizzy spell. All of a sudden, the set was spinning and he laid his head down on the table. It wasn't scripted, but he couldn't help it. He was waiting for Robbie to call cut, but he didn't hear anything. Slowly he opened his eyes and raised his head a bit. He was sure they would have to re shoot and he was sorry again. He looked up into the eyes of both Adam and Yvonne, but something was different. They were looking at him with concern. He gave them one of his lopsided grins and said

"Sorry guys."

He looked around and noticed that he was in a room and not the set. He frowned and looked back at his co stars and said

"What's going on? Where are we?"

Adam just gave him a smirk and grunted, but Yvonne leaned over to him and gently brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and said.

"Chuck, did you just flash?"

TBC

**I hope you like this. It's something I had running around my mind now for a few weeks.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**A/N Sorry for the inconsistency in chapter one. Hopefully, I've corrected the mistakes.**

"Chuck...did you just flash?"

The question was still ringing in his ears. He raised his head even higher and looked into the eyes of...Yvonne? No, there was something different in this woman's eyes. He saw something in those eyes. Was it...love? No, Yvonne was involved with someone else. He had to admit that she was beautiful, and they got along well together. He also had to admit to himself that he was not adverse to a relationship with the beautiful Aussie. He shook his head again and turned his attention to...Adam? A shiver went up his back as he looked into his eyes...cold and determined. Something he only saw in Adam's eyes when they were filming. Adam was really a big 'teddy bear' in real life and would not hesitate to give you the shirt off his back. Something was wrong, and it was creeping him out.

"Chuck, honey, whats wrong?"

He looked back at the woman and almost under his breath so as not to ruin a scene, he whispered

"That's not in the script? What's going on?"

He chanced a look around, but saw no camera's or crew for that matter. Now he heard a familiar voice grunt at him

"What are you blabbering about Bartowski?"

The woman turned to the man and gave him a hard look and said

"Casey...can't you see that's somethings wrong with Chuck? Stop the Mr. Tough guy routine."

Her eyes were glaring at Casey. He just looked at her and grunted. The room suddenly filled with laughter and they both looked to the source. Sarah again got a worried look on her face, and Casey just smirked at the younger man. Bartowski had finally lost it.

"You guys had me going there for a minute."

Zac was now laughing so hard that he couldn't stand. The looks on his co stars faces were priceless. Somehow they had gotten the crew to pull this elaborate joke on him, and he had almost fallen for it.

"Real funny guys...now where is the rest of the crew? Isn't it time for lunch break?"

He stood up and said to no one in particular

"Okay, Robbie...very funny. You getting back at me for that prank I played on you last week?"

No one answered and Zac again looked at the other two people. They still had the same looks on their faces. Now he was getting a little worried. How did he get here? They had been in the Castle set, and now they were...in a room that looked like the set, but it was a real room. How had they gotten him here without him knowing it? Had he fallen asleep?

"Josh?...Vik?...Hey, Scott, come on guys where are you?"

Zac was beginning to get scared now. Where was he? He slowly sat back down and after a moment he looked up again with a worried look on his face and said

"I'm dreaming again right?...this is just a dream that has turned into a nightmare right?"

He dropped his head and rubbed his eyes. Maybe he was more tired than he thought.

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and he jumped, looking up into...Sarah's eyes. She could see that he was upset and...scared? She had never seen this look on Chuck's face before, and she was worried about it. What was wrong with him? Who were the names he had called out? Were they friends she'd never heard of or what? She leaned down to give him a kiss and he flinched as she touched her lips to his. What was wrong with her Chuck?

Suddenly the sound of someone clearing their throat came into the room and the sound again made Chuck jump. He looked up and saw...Bonita on the monitor. But that couldn't be her. His eyes went wide as she looked at him. She seemed very intimidating and he was so unnerved, that he slightly shrank back a bit, a movement not missed by the other two people in the room with him. Sarah looked directly at the screen and said

"General, something is wrong with Chuck. I think this last mission had affected him in some way."

Casey just grunted, but it was obvious that he was worried about the kid. He wouldn't want it to get out, but he had, over the last two years, grown fond of the moron...he was his moron. He looked back at him and saw the look of surprise and worry on his face. Something was wrong, but what?

"Mr. Bartowski, what is the matter?"

The slight woman said as she continued to let her eyes bore into his very soul. He gulped and tried to stand, but it was difficult. He was getting the feeling he had been pulled into the twilight zone. He finally managed to stand and he looked at the woman.

"Uh...well..."

How was he suppose to say this?

"I'm waiting Mr. Bartowski."

She seemed to be ready to jump out at him so he just blurted it out in a strangled voice

"Okay, I'm not Chuck Bartowski...my name is Zachary Levi and I'm an actor who happens to be on a show on TV named Chuck...I'm just playing a part...I'm not the intersect and I can't flash...well unless you count what Josh calls my flash face..."

He did his patten flash face for them and then felt silly. He looked at them all and saw different expressions on each face. He deflated and sighed and said in a small voice

"Look, we were filming a scene on the Castle set and I was waiting for Robbie to call cut and suddenly I felt a dizzy spell come on...you see I didn't get to much sleep last night and well, it never came and now I find myself here...where ever here is and..."

"Enough!"

The general held up her hand and then looked at the other two in the room and said

"Agent Walker, Col Casey, I want you to take the asset to Casey's and watch over him closely. It's obvious that the mission has affected him in some way. If he doesn't come to his senses by tomorrow, we will be forced to bring him in."

Zac didn't like the sound of this. It was just like the show, they were always threatening to take Chuck to a bunker and hide him away for ever. He suddenly felt real fear at the thought of it and raised his hands and said a little louder than he meant to

"No,no,no,no,no...I'm not Chuck, Chuck is just a fictional character...I am an actor who plays that part! I'm Zachary Levi and you can't take me to some underground bunker for life...I have no intersect in my brain."

He had advanced towards the monitor, but was roughly pulled back by Casey, who grabbed his arm. He almost lost his balance as he was pulled back. Zac normally didn't lose his temper, but this man was getting on his nerves. He turned and gave him a dirty look and tried to yank his arm out of his grip, but Casey only tighten his grip.

"Let go Adam!"

Casey just looked at him and said under his breath

"Can it, moron"

"Stop calling me moron...my name is Zac...Zac Levi!"

He was mad now, and Sarah stepped forward and said

"Um..Zac? Please, just calm down. Everything will be alright."

She was worried about Chuck but if being called Zac would help him calm down, then she would try that. He looked down at her and saw the same look of love in her eyes and was again taken aback. The fire in his eyes cooled and he stopped struggling. He wanted to trust her, but he was afraid at the same time. Again he wondered where he was.

Casey, for his part was looking at Chuck with a new admiration for him. He had never seen Chuck get so fired up. Maybe there was hope for him after all. Now the general interrupted the moment as she said

"Casey, Sarah...please take Chuck home."

She had watched the young man explode at Casey, and she had to admit, she was a little worried too. He was so sure he was someone else. She hoped that this was not a problem with the asset. And she hoped that Chuck would come around. She really did like the kid, and Roan had talked about him with affection.

They had taken Chuck out of Castle and had gotten into Casey's Crown Vic. Zac sat in the back seat and said nothing. Sarah kept looked over her shoulder and she was wondering what was going through his head. It was her Chuck wasn't it? But he seemed so sure he was someone else...an actor who played the part of Chuck on TV. How could there be a TV show about this? She had never seen one, but she only watched TV with Chuck, and he had never mentioned this type of show? And if this wasn't her Chuck, how would he know about the intersect? It just didn't make any sense. She turned and looked at Casey. He had a strange look on his face. Was he concerned too? She knew deep down that he was fond of Chuck but if she ever brought it up, he'd just grunt at her. But the look right now was different. He truly looked worried.

They pulled up in front of the apartment that both Casey and Chuck, his sister and fiance lived. He parked the Vic and both Sarah and Casey got out of the car. Zac just sat there lost in his thoughts. Casey opened the back door and grabbed Zac's arm and pulled him out.

"Come on numb nuts...we're here."

Again, Zac twisted to pull away from him, but his grip was too tight.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

He looked upset again so Casey loosened his grip a bit, but not enough for the kid to escape. They were home before either Ellie or Devon, so no one saw them enter Casey's apartment. Zac looked around and felt that he had been here a lot...after all the apartment looked just like the set. Even the court yard was the same. Again he thought of the Twilight Zone. Casey let go of him and he walked over to the couch and dropped down. He watched as Casey shut and locked the door. Casey then pulled the blinds and turned to look at the man sitting on the couch...or to be more precise, slumping on the couch. He looked a little rumpled and tired. It was obvious that the kid was tired. Sarah had sat down next to him and was also watching him.

Sarah was trying to sort out the man before her. On the way over here, something had been nagging her, but she wasn't sure what. Something was different about Chuck, but she couldn't quite figure it out. Her spy senses were sometimes off when it came to Chuck. She reached out to brush a lock of his hair off his forehead, and as she did, she suddenly stopped in mid motion. That was it...his hair was longer and shaggier. How had that happened? He had started wearing his hair in a more professional style for two years now. She looked at him closer and notice his outfit. He was in his nerd herd outfit, Black slacks, white short sleeve shirt and gray tie, which was askew. He had his usual Chuck Taylor shoes on. Wait a minute, they had been on a mission where they were at a party. They were to infiltrate a drug dealer on his yacht. Chuck had been in a nice gray suit with dress shoes on. How had he gotten into his work outfit? How had his hair grown in so short a time? She looked up at Casey and wondered if he saw it too? She turned back to Chuck and said

"Um...Chuck...your hair is longer than it was this morning and your clothes...we were at a party and you were in that gray suit this morning? How did you change? You didn't leave either Casey or me since we got back to Castle? And your hair..."

She trailed off and saw that Casey was also now noticing the difference. The man, who had been sitting there with his head in his hands now looked up at them and sighed as he said quietly

"I told you, I'm not Chuck...I'm Zac."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**A/N For any who are wondering about the time line...Zac is in season 2 since they were filming the 3-D episode, but Chuck's time line is somewhere late season 4 hence the mention on the different hair length. I kind of like the season 2 hair style.**

Sarah sat and watched the man she knew as Chuck sleeping. He had finally fallen asleep after an hour of trying to convince them he was not her Chuck. She was beginning to believe he wasn't. But how was that possible? And if he was an actor named Zac how had he changed places with Chuck? How could he look exactly like Chuck? And most important, where was Chuck? Was he safe where ever he was?

She watched as Zac seemed to get a little restless and started to shift. She had to admit, she was intrigued by this man. How weird was it to think that someone so like her Chuck could be living out there somewhere. She found that she wanted to get to know him better. But she was curious...was there an actress out there that looked like her? She had noticed that Zac had seemed quite comfortable around both her and Casey, and he even seemed to recognize General Beckman. Did they all have doubles out there? It was kind of scary to think of.

Zac now was softly snoring and seemed to be in a peaceful sleep. He had mentioned that he had not slept well last night, but he seemed to be in a deep sleep that suggested he had miss a lot of sleep. She looked up as Casey came in and sat down in his favorite chair. He had gotten each of them a sandwich and some water, and he handed Sarah her's. Taking a bite, he chewed thoughtfully and then said

"Okay, Walker, what do you think of his story? Do you believe him?"

"I don't know Casey. He seems so sure that he is who he claims to be, but how could there be a man out there who looks exactly like Chuck, and talks exactly like Chuck?"

She wasn't sure. Casey nodded and said

"Well he certainly talks like Bartowski, and he's a dead ringer too. If he is this actor, why haven't we ever heard of him? And why haven't we ever seen this show he claims to be on?"

Casey was now staring at the man as he slept. After a moment he just grunted and then said

"He sure sleeps like Bartowski...even snores like him."

Sarah gave Casey a sour look and said

"Are you still bugging our bedroom?"

Casey just smirked at her and she rolled her eyes at him, determined to make sure she disabled the bugs in the bedroom. After a few moments of silence, he said

"One things for sure, he didn't just grow his hair in a day, and he was in his nerd herd suit so that's weird. Something strange is happening here. He was never out of sight after we got back to Castle, so he had no chance to change clothes."

He rose and took both his and Walker's plate into the kitchen. He didn't want Walker to see, but he was beginning to believe the nerd. He wasn't their Chuck. But if not, how did he get here and where was Chuck? Somehow he was going to have to stall Beckman and try and retrieve Chuck and get this guy back to where he belonged. The only problem was how?

Zac was slowly waking up and at first he was slightly confused. Where was he? He wasn't home and he didn't remember going home. He wasn't in his trailer at work, he just knew that. He heard the sound of water running and it took him a moment to realize it was a shower running. Causality he opened his eyes and looked around. He was laying on a couch that was not too comfortable. The room looked familiar and then it all came back to him. Somehow he was in Chuck's spy world. How had it happened? How was he going to get back to where he belonged? He wasn't a spy, and he didn't have an intersect in his head. He sighed loudly as he sat up, and stretching to get the kinks out of his muscles. He stood and went to look in the kitchen. He was hungry and realized he hadn't eaten since last night. He went to the fridge and opened the door, but found nothing but some bottled water and what looked like a crust of bread. He again sighed and thought as he closed the door 'doesn't this guy ever eat?' As he turned to check the cabinets, to see if there was any munchies, Sarah came into the room wrapped only in a towel. His eyes bugged out as he looked at her. She was so beautiful and he could only imagine Yvonne and then he blushed as he realized where his thought were going. He quickly averted his eyes and tried to clear his throat. But Sarah thought nothing of it and said

"I've got to get my bag...Casey went over to our place and picked up some clothes for both of us..."

She saw the blush and secretly smiled to herself. It was so much like Chuck in the beginning. She wondered if Zac had a crush on the actress that played her? He was still staring at his feet as he said

"Um...I'm...Um...I was hungry and was looking for something to eat...missed lunch and didn't have time for breakfast this morning...had a muffin though and coffee..."

Sarah had picked up her bag and she looked at him as he tried hard not to look at her and said

"Casey went to pick up some food, I hope you like Subway?"

He looked up and then just as quickly looked down and stammered

"Uh...yeah...love Subway...one of our unofficial sponsors. Our fans have done a Subway campaign to keep us on air."

He trailed off and Sarah excused herself to get dressed. He finally looked up as she disappeared into the bedroom. He wanted to kick himself. Here he was a twenty-eight years old American red blooded male, and he had just acted like a sixteen year old. Sarah must think he was stupid. He walked back out into the living room and sank into the couch again. How could he be so stupid? He'd seen women wrapped in towels before, had even seen women without being wrapped in a towel. What was wrong with him? As he thought about his reaction, it suddenly hit him. He had a crush on his co star...had since the second episode. But she was with someone else, so he had not persuaded it. But now, he began to think of what it would be like to date her. They did have great on screen chemistry and he felt that if he ever got the chance, they could have great chemistry off screen too. He sighed and decided that if he ever got back home, he would find some way to let her know he liked her.

The front door opened to reveal Casey with an armful of food. He grunted at Zac and shut the door. He took the food to the dining room table and set it all down. There were sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks. The sight of all the food made Zac's stomach growl. Casey heard it and smirked and said

"What's wrong Bartowski? You ready to eat?"

Zac just rolled his eyes and looked at this man. He had given up trying to convince him he was not Chuck and so he just said

"Well yeah I am. I didn't have time for breakfast before the limo picked me up and we were just about to call lunch break when..."

Casey just grunted and walked into the kitchen mumbling under his breath something about a limo. Sarah came out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a top. Zach was still looking at the food and she said

"Are you hungry?"

Before he could speak, Casey said

"Yeah, the numb-nuts hasn't eaten since last night."

Zac glared at Casey and was about to say something when Sarah smiled at him and said

"Come on lets eat...I'm sure Casey got something you'd like."

She took his arm and guided him to the chair across from Casey. He sat down and reached for a sandwich, but Casey grabbed it and said

"That one's mine...meatball marinara and cheese...Here this one's for you."

He shoved a roast beef and cheese at the young man, and Sarah had pick up a Turkey Breast and cheese. There was still a Tuna, Chicken roasted and a Cold Cut Combo left. Zac liked the roast beef, but he was not going to eat it just because Casey shoved it at him. He reached out and took the Tuna and unwrapped it. Casey looked at him and Zac said

"I'm hungry...okay!"

Casey just grunted and continued to eat. He smiled to himself as he noticed that he didn't put the Roast Beef back, but reached for some chips instead. He tore the bag open and spilled the chips on the paper wrapping and then took a bite of his sandwich. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. He didn't realize that he was so hungry, but it really tasted good. Sarah had moved a drink in front of him, and he took a long gulp. He was thirsty too. He continued to enjoy his meal and was silent as he ate. He was so into the meal he didn't notice the looks that the two were giving him. At mid bite, he heard a grunt from Casey. He looked at him and saw the smirk on the older man's face, and it suddenly reminded him of Adam. He suddenly felt alone, and he put his sandwich down and rubbed his eyes. Zac's emotions were always close to the surface, even as a child, and he had to compose himself before he choked up. The last thing he wanted to do was show any emotions in front of this guy. He felt Sarah's hand on his arm and he looked at her. She again smiled that smile at him and said

"Just ignore Casey and eat. I know you're hungry and he has a habit of scarfing down a whole bucket of chicken in one sitting."

Another louder grunt came from Casey as he glared at Walker.

Zac just smiled at her and whispered

"Thanks, I am hungry, but I should slow down...I could give myself heartburn."

His smile got bigger, and now Sarah had to keep her emotions in check. So much like Chuck...

They finished dinner and since both Sarah and Casey were suppose to watch him, it was decided that they would all spend the night in Casey's apartment. They had gone back into the living room and Casey began fiddling with his bonsai tree. He trimmed a couple of leaves off and then watered it. Sarah and Zac watched him and when he was finished, he sat in his favorite chair and began reading a magazine on firearms. Sarah had taken the opportunity to try and get Zac to talk, but he didn't say much. He still looked tired and a couple of times he yawned and then apologized for yawning in her face. He was close to nodding off when Casey put the magazine down and said

"Time to hit the sack."

When Casey said he'd take the couch and that Sarah could have the bedroom, Zac cleared his throat and said

"Where am I going to sleep?"

Both Casey and Sarah looked at him and then Sarah gently said

"You will be sleeping in the bedroom with me."

He gulped and stammered

"Uh...is...is...there a comfortable... chair in there?"

For the life of him he couldn't remember if the set had a comfy chair in the bedroom. Before Casey could say anything to make him feel worse, Sarah took the bag of things that he had brought for Chuck and took his hand and started towards the bedroom. He hesitated and both Sarah and Zac thought they heard Casey mumble something about 'real men'

"Come on Chuck...Zac. I've got your things here...you can take a shower and then we will go to bed. Maybe by tomorrow we can figure this all out...okay?"

He again looked at the beautiful spy and then just nodded. He took the bag and went into the bathroom to clean up. Casey had come to the hall closet to get a pillow and some blankets out and she hissed at him

"Casey will you please take it easy on him? Can't you see he's a decent guy and is out of his element here. He wants to get back as much as we want our Chuck back. You could try and make it a little easier on him."

Casey just shrugged and said

"Don't talk about his 'lady feelings' to me. From what I saw at Castle, he could hold his own in this reality."

"Well, just back off some, will you?"

He grunted and walked back to the couch to settle down. Sarah went into the bedroom and sat on the end of the bed. She got out a pair of shorts and one of Chuck's tees that she usually slept in. After she changed, she began to brush her hair and think about the man in the bathroom.

Zac cautiously open the door to the bathroom and looked out. He had taken a shower and had to admit he felt better. He had gotten all the make up off and then had let the hot water stream over his tired body. It had felt good. His hair was still damp, and he was now dressed in some sweat pants and a tee. At first he felt funny wearing someone else things but then he thought that if Chuck had taken over his life, he'd be wearing his things, so he figured why not? He looked at the closed bedroom door and paused for a moment. He was nervous about spending the night in the same room with Sarah, as he didn't believe in jumping into bed with anyone. And the fact that she looked exactly like Yvonne was having an effect on him. He really hoped Casey had a comfy chair he could sleep in, as he didn't want to sleep on the floor. He took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door and waited.

Sarah opened the door and took his arm and pulled him in. He stumbled in and then stood there looking for that chair, but saw none. He sighed as he thought he'd be sleeping on the floor. Sarah smiled and said

"You can sleep in the bed...I don't bite."

He gave a nervous laugh and said

"Um...I'm not sure..."

She sat on the side of the bed and said

"We will just sleep, Chuc...Zac so come on lets go to bed."

She slipped under the covers and looked at him. His hair was still damp and he looked so much like her Chuck, she was having trouble keeping her breathing level. She noticed he was too. Finally he moved and sat on the very edge of the bed. He finally got in and laid down but made sure there was plenty of space between them. He quickly covered up and laid on his back. Sarah turned off the lamp and the room was bathed in the moonlight shinning in the window. Sarah turned and looked at his silhouette and marveled again on how much like Chuck he was. He was staring up at the ceiling and suddenly he turned and looked at her and said softly

"Sarah...do you think I'll ever get home?"

"I don't know, Zac. We don't even know how you got here in the first place and how to get you back."

He was silent for a moment and then continued

"Its like this Twilight Zone episode I saw once. This astronaut comes back to Earth, but its different. The people he knows have changed and he tries to find out what is going on. They think he's crazy and want to lock him up, but he finds out that there is an identical Earth in the same orbit but on the opposite side of the Sun so neither knows of the other. He finally is able to take off again..."

He stopped and again turned to Sarah and said

"I feel just like that astronaut."

"Don't worry we'll find a way somehow."

She settled back and thought for a moment before she said

"Did he get home?"

Zac grinned and nodded and said

"He did."

They both settled down and even though Zac had taken a nap this afternoon, he was still tired and drifted off to sleep dreaming of being home in his own bed... Maybe tomorrow.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The sunshine was streaming into the room and there was a soft breeze that ruffled the curtains at the window. Zac was,as usual, a little disoriented. He tended to wake up slowly, and was not always ready to hop out of bed in the morning. But today, something was different. He felt a warmth next to him and his arms were around a body that was snuggling up to him. He smiled to himself and tighten his grip and pulled the body closer to him. He started to drift off again and then, he heard the sound of someone in the kitchen. Who was in his kitchen? He was apt to let friends spend the night, but usually it was on the weekends.

The body next to him started to stir and he felt the head move slightly. It had been resting on his chest and he had snuggled his head in the hair of the person in bed with him. The scent was of gardenia's. He inhaled the scent and sighed. Opening his eyes, he saw the blond hair of the woman he had in his arms and...froze. Oh my god...he was sleeping with Yvonne...how had she gotten here? Why had she come? Then it dawned on him. He wasn't home...he was still in this reality. It was Sarah in his arms. Slowly, so he wouldn't wake her, he withdrew his arms and gently got out of bed. She moaned a bit, but then grabbed the pillow he had used and snuggled back down. He watched her for a moment and then quietly left the bedroom. He went into the bathroom to relieve himself then went into the kitchen to find Casey just pouring himself a cup of coffee. Casey turned and said

"Bout time you got up sleeping beauty. I know Walker likes to sleep in, but you are usually up at the crack of dawn."

Zac looked at him and sighed as he said

"Look, I'm not Chuck, and I know Casey is written to always say these things to Chuck, but I'd appreciate it if you'd stop. I'm just a guy who has somehow been put into a situation that's already difficult...it would help if we could stop the insults."

He took his hand and ran his fingers through his rumpled hair making it even more rumpled. Casey looked at the young man and after a moment he said softly

"Sorry...you're right..."

He then took another mug and filled it with the hot coffee and set it down in front of Zac and said more gruffly

"You tell Walker I said I was sorry and I'll skin you alive!"

Zac looked at him a moment with wide eyes and then he just burst out laughing. It was so what the pretend Casey would have said it was uncanny. Casey narrowed his eyes and said

"What's so funny?"

Zac tried to control his laughter, but it was hard. Finally he said

"It's just what I'd expect 'my' Casey to say on the show, that all."

He began to chuckle again and he noticed that Casey was trying hard not to smile, but he failed. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. Zac took the mug and took a sip of the coffee. Casey did likewise and then said

"So..kid..tell me about this TV show you're on..."

For the next half hour, Zac talked about the show, about the cast and crew and how lucky he felt to have gotten the part of Chuck, and how it had changed his life. He also spoke of his 'nerd machine' website and the things he hoped to accomplish. Casey had to admit, the kid seemed to have his head on straight. He wasn't like the whinny liberal Hollywood crowd..he seemed genuinely to be a nice guy. He really wasn't that different from Chuck.

Sarah walked out to find Zac and Casey talking. Casey seemed to be getting along with him better and she smiled. Maybe the NSA agent had decided to try and make it easier on the young man. She hoped so. She was beginning to like him a lot and even though she was in love with Chuck, she liked Zac a lot. He had so much of Chuck in him. As she walked in, Casey spied her and said

"Finally decided to join the living again eh Walker?"

She just gave him a look and without thinking she walked over to Zac and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He started to blush and Casey snorted, but she ignored it and said

"Good morning Zac, did you sleep well?"

"Uh...yeah...um...great."

She looked at Casey and said

"Did you happen to go to the market to get anything for breakfast?"

She opened the refrigerator and saw eggs, bread, and some potatoes. There was also a bottle of Orange juice that was only three quarters full and some butter and a half empty jar of strawberry jam, Chuck's favorite. She looked at her partner and he said with a shrug

"I went to the market just across the courtyard."

Which meant he had taken the stuff from their apartment. She rolled her eyes at him and just got the potatoes out. She was an excellent cook, and Chuck loved her breakfast special. She hoped Zac would too. She shooed Casey and Zac out so she could cook and as they went to the couch and continued their conversation, she began peeling the potatoes. She just hoped Casey had some spices in this kitchen.

Breakfast was over and empty plates decorated the table. Both Zac and Casey had enjoyed her breakfast special and Sarah was satisfied. She loved cooking for Chuck and he always complimented her on how much he loved it. Now Zac said

"Wow, Sarah, that was awesome. You are a fantastic cook!"

She smiled at him and blushed a bit. Casey nodded and for once seemed to agree with the nerd. Then he had to remind himself it wasn't their nerd. Zac had explained that everyone was 'nerdy' about something in there life and that was why he had started his nerd machine website. Casey had to admit, Walker really knew her way around the kitchen. That Chuck was one lucky kid.

Now, Sarah stood to clear the table, and Zac stood to help her. Once they had the dirty dishes in the sink with soapy water, Sarah began washing them as Zac took the towel and dried. He had been trained early in life to help with all the chores at home, and even though he had two sisters, his mom had made sure he helped in the kitchen. He hadn't minded though. Casey stuck his head in the door as they finished and said

"General Beckman in thirty minutes...you two better get decent."

They were both still in their sleep clothes, and hadn't even showered yet, so Sarah quickly got her clothes and jumped into the shower, while Zac went into the bedroom to gather his clothes. Once she was out, he took his shower and got ready. After getting out he noticed that he had the beginnings of a beard and decided that he would let it go, after all, he wasn't filming today, and he kinda liked the look. He finished and came out of the bathroom and walked into the living room, where the monitor was set up and waiting. Sarah smiled and said

"You okay Zac?"

"Um... I'm kind of nervous talking to Beckman. What happens if she wants to throw me into an underground bunker?"

"Don't worry, Zac, we will find someway to stall the general."

Sarah was now standing next to him with her hand on his shoulder. He nodded but didn't look too convinced. Casey said

"Well, you're the actor...so act!"

Sarah and Casey talked for a few minutes, each trying to decide what to actually tell the general and how they were going to stall for time. After about five minutes, without a good plan, Zac said

"Why don't we just say...um...I kinda hit my head, and..."

They both looked at him and then Casey sort of nodded as he looked at Sarah.

"Could work, but we need to be firm, General Beckman is a..."

Just then the monitor came to life and the image of General Diane Beckman was on the screen. Zac took a breath to calm his nerves as she said

"Team...Report What is the condition of the asset?"

Sarah spoke up and said

"General, Chuck is fine...he's just tired that's all."

The general looked at the CIA agent and decided she was not being quite accurate. She turned to Casey and said

"Col, what is your assessment?"

Casey did something Sarah never thought she'd see him do. He shifted from one foot to the other and said

"General, the asset is fine, hit his head and he just needs a couple of days off to...recuperate?"

He ended the statement with a question which was not something Casey would usually do. The general narrowed her eyes and looked at Chuck.

"Mr Bartowski, how are you feeling?"

Zac gulped and then with the ease of an actor he pulled himself into character and said in his best Chuck voice

"I'm doing fine General...just got a little confused yesterday...hit my head during the mission, and well, been having trouble sleeping lately and..."

He trailed off as he saw the general eye both him and Sarah. She was quite for a moment and then seem to relax in her chair

"Team Bartowski...due to your excellent work yesterday, we were able to shut down a major drug cartel. Since Chuck seems to be having trouble...sleeping, I'm authorizing some time off for now, but, if anything comes up, I expect you ready to go. Understood?"

Both Casey and Sarah said

"Yes ma'am."

The general turned once again to Chuck and said

"And, Mr Bartowski..."

He looked at her on the screen as she continued

"I expect you to get your head looked at...no reason to take a chance of an injury.

"Yes ma'am...I will...You're right...no injury."

She reached towards the disconnect and did so before Chuck could finish his ramblings. There was silence for a moment and then Zac smiled and said

"Well, that went well don't you think?"

It was still dark when Chuck suddenly awoke in a bed that wasn't his. He still had his clothes on but he had evidently taken the suit jacket off as he saw it lying on the chair. Where was he? Where were Sarah and Casey? They had been on there way back to Castle to report in and now for some reason he was in bed and apparently it was night.

What had happened? He sat up to take in his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be a large bedroom with very nice furniture. Across from the king sized bed he was in was a large entertainment center with a 60 inch flat screen TV. He also saw state of the art audio components and what seemed to be a game console...a gamer. On the walls were several movie posters and he saw a large framed picture of...him? He got up to look at the picture closer. It was him, but he didn't remember having it taken. He seemed to be standing in front of some type of large cathedral, grinning at the camera. He had on a pair of jeans and some type of hoodie that was black with tiny red strips running horizontally and a back pack. On his head he was wearing an LA Lakers ball cap. When had this been taken?

He moved around the room trying to find out where he was and who really lived here. He opened some of the drawers in the giant dresser and found underwear, socks, jeans and a lot of tee shirts. At least the person like to dress causally. He moved over to the other side of the bed and saw something on the night stand and he picked it up. It was a sort of book and on the front was neatly printed right in the middle of the page the word 'CHUCK' enclosed in a box and below that it said Episode 211 and below that it said 'Chuck versus Santa Claus' There were some notes at the bottom with copyright things for Warner Brothers Entertainment, and at the top left was who created and produced it and then on the upper right hand corner was a sticker with the name Zachary Levi. Who was this Zachary Levi? And how did they know about him? It looked like a script to a movie...no it said episode, so it must be a TV Show, but about someone named Chuck? It was so weird.

He opened the script and began to read. After a few pages, his eyes widened as he saw it was indeed about a 'nerd who worked for the Buy More who had accidentally downloaded the intersect into his brain and now was an asset whom Sarah Walker and John Casey guarded. It was too weird. It was about his life. How could they know about the intersect? Or about him and his friends? Was their cover blown? Had Fulcrum somehow found out that he was the intersect? No that was impossible. How come he'd never seen this show? And again he wondered how he'd gotten here, wherever here was. He put the script down and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It showed three am and he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now. He sighed and thought to himself that he needed to get a handle on the situation.

He saw that the alarm was set for three thirty and turned it off. Being a movie buff, he knew actors usually got up early as they needed to get to the studio early for makeup and such, but he wondered...could he pretend to be this actor? He did need to act as special agent Charles Carmichael, so he thought he could pull it off...at least till he could find and contact Sarah or Casey. Letting out a breath, he stood and went to the bathroom he had noticed and stopped dead in his tracks. It was bigger than the bathroom that he and Sarah shared in the apartment. This bathroom was awesome. It not only had a large sunken tub, but a large shower stall. There were warm fluffy towels and throw rugs on the floor. It was nice. He smiled and though that he could easily get use to this, but then he thought of his real life and knew he had to find a way home to Sarah.

He went back into the main room and took out some jeans, underwear, socks and a tee shirt that said NERD on the front. He took them all into the bathroom and after he had shed the suit he was wearing, he stepped into the shower and let the hot water flow down his tired body as he thought of what to do about his current situation. He really couldn't think straight at the moment. He was still tired from the mission. When he was done, he stepped out and dried off and dressed. He combed his hair and shaved and then he took the clothes he'd been wearing and folded them neatly. He sat on the bed and put his shoes on and then stood up and again looked at the large framed picture of the actor. He studied the picture for a few minutes and then sighed and said

"Well, if you're where I think you are, I hope Sarah and Casey will believe you and maybe find a way to switch us back... If not..."

He didn't want to think about that right now.

He opened the door to the room and went to check out the rest of the house. It looked like it had three bedrooms and a very large living room/family room. It had comfortable furniture and he noticed another large flat screen TV mounted on the wall in the family room with gaming equipment. There was a stack of games sitting next to the controller, and he picked up the top one...Call of Duty... This guy was certainly a game player, and Chuck knew that if they were friends, he'd have fun playing him on Call of Duty. The kitchen was off this room and he went in to check for anything to eat. He realized he hadn't eaten since yesterday just before they had left for their mission and he was hungry. He opened the refrigerator and saw it was plenty full with different items. He found a jug of orange juice and took it out. He looked through a couple of cabinets before he found the glasses and pour a glass and put the jug down on the counter. He didn't want to fix a big breakfast, so he looked around the room and noticed a platter with a glass cover over it that had several different muffins on it. He took a muffin and found a plate to put it on. Ellie always hated it when he spilled crumbs all over. He peeled off the paper cover and took a bite out of the muffin...ahhh blueberry with cinnamon topping. It was good. He sat on the stool at the counter and before he realized it, he had eaten three muffins and drank two glasses of juice. He kind of felt guilty for eating someone's food, but he was hungry, and if he was going to be here for a while, he'd just have to do what he could to survive. He sat there for a moment just thinking. How was he going to get home and back to Sarah? He missed her and even had to admit he missed Casey's grunts. He sighed and placed his head in his hand.

A bright light shined into the room and then faded. It was the headlights of a car. He immediately slipped into his spy mode and was on the alert. He looked out the window and saw a large limo pull up and stop. At first, he wished he had his tranq gun with him, but Casey had taken it after the mission. He thought he could find a knife or something, but couldn't see himself using knifes like Sarah. He again looked out the window at the limo in the drive. The driver had gotten out and now stood by the door of the car. It must be for the actor. He relaxed a little and walked to the door and opened it. The driver smiled at him and said

"Are you ready to go Mr. Levi?"

For a moment he didn't reply but then said

"Uh...yeah, let me just get my stuff."

He ducked back in and worriedly looked for a set of keys so he could lock up. He didn't want to leave the house unlocked. He walked to the small table by the door and saw a set of keys in the bowl on the table and next to the bowl was a script. He picked them up. He hoped the house key was among the keys on the key chain and that the script was the one they were working on. He saw the same LA Lakes hat next to the bowl and picked it up and put it on. He walked out of the house and after a couple of tries he found the right key to lock up. The driver was now holding the door open to the limo and he got in, nodding at the driver. Once he was settled, the driver got in and turned around and said

"How are you today Mr. Levi? Hope you got enough sleep last night."

Chuck looked at him and then looked around the car and noticed a name above the rear view mirror that said 'Jack'

"Uh yeah Jack, I did."

Chuck was pleased with himself that he had gotten this right so far and smiled. Maybe he'd be able to pull this off after all.

With a smile Jack turned around and smoothly pulled out of the drive to begin the trip to the studio, never knowing he was not driving his usual passenger.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**A/N It was pointed out that there were a few inconsistencies in the last chapter. Again, Zac is in mid second season, and Chuck is in late fourth season. So I have decided that since Chuck has grown and matured, he would have a easier time fitting into Zac's life, while Zac would have a harder time fitting into Chuck's spy world since he does not have the intersect. I thought about it and went and updated the last chapter, so please check it out. Hope it fits better. Thanks for all who have reviewed. It is greatly appreciated.**

Chuck was enjoying the ride and thought to himself that an actor's life did have some benefits. He was actually looking forward to the day for some reason. Maybe the acting he did when he slipped into his agent Carmichael role was rubbing off on him. He looked down at the script and picked it up. He better familiarize himself so he didn't make a fool of himself. He turned the light on and flipped open the script to a piece of paper that seemed to mark a certain page. He took the paper and saw that there was some doodling on it. It looked like a design of something and below was written, 'new t-shirt design' Hum? Was this Zac a designer too? He wished he knew more about the man. It would make it easier to fit in. He tried to flash on the actor, but nothing came to him. So he had never been involved with anything the CIA or NSA would have info on. Or, he was truly in an alternate reality. As he thought about it, he remembered an old TV show he and Morgan use to watch called 'Sliders.'

He looked down at the pages of the script that had been marked with the sheet of paper and he began to read. The pages were sectioned off by days and dated which looked like something the actor had done. Each day had about ten pages, and he began to read. It seemed that they were filming in 3-D and were on the last ten pages of the script. The story was about a rock star who was in danger because of some tattoo's that were actually secret messages. He had to grin at the story, as it seemed a little far fetched for the real spy world and he really couldn't see team Bartowski involved in something like it.

By the time he arrived, he thought he could hold his own and with any luck, he'd not draw attention to himself. The limo pulled up to a group of buildings and Chuck saw it was already busy with people bustling around. The driver stopped and turned and said

"Looks like you're getting off early today, so I'll be here by 3pm to pick you up."

"Thanks..Jack."

Jack just nodded at him and as Chuck got out of the limo, the driver said

"Have a great day, Mr. Levi."

"Ah, Thanks Jack...I'll see you later."

Chuck stood there as the limo drove off. He suddenly wondered where he was suppose to go. He looked around and saw all the hustle and felt that he looked kind of lost. He saw that there was a trailer near the entrance of what he thought was a set, and as he watched it, he saw the door open and a short man in a green Buy More shirt stepped down the stairs. At the bottom, he spied his best buddy and said

"Zac, hey buddy, you just get here?"

Josh came over and clapped Chuck on the shoulder. Chuck was feeling lost. This guy looked just like Morgan, but he didn't know what his real name was. He ducked his head a bit in his old Chuck way and said

"Um..yeah, the limo just dropped me off."

He looked the other man over and wished he knew the names. Maybe this was going to be harder than he though. He heard someone call his name, or at least Zac's name, and he turned to see a man approaching. Now he was going to have two names he didn't know, but 'Morgan' said

"Hey, Robbie."

Ah this guy's name was Robbie, that was one down. Now Robbie stopped and said

"Zac, we have run into a bit of a problem with the 3-D camera, and I know I wanted you here early, but we're going to have at least a couple of hour's delay, so if you what, after makeup, you can chill in you're trailer, and we'll call you when we're ready...sorry, it's going to push us back a couple of hours this afternoon, but we may be able to still get out of here at a decent hour. Hope you didn't have any plans this afternoon."

Chuck looked at the man and said

"Um..sure, Robbie...I go right to makeup and then to my trailer."

Robbie, for a moment, looked at the younger man and said

"You okay Zac? You seem...different. Did you spend last night playing video games again?"

Uh Oh, he had slipped. He gave the man a big smile and said

"No, no, I got a good night's sleep. I..um..just had a weird dream."

Yeah, he could get out of the hole he had started to dig.

"I dreamed that...um...I went into the twilight zone and then met all these weird people."

He looked at them and saw that Robbie just grinned at him and 'Morgan' said

"Cool, dude...The twilight zone huh..which episode?"

Before Chuck could answer, another man came over and said to the group of men

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need the expert opinion of our illustrious director."

"Okay,okay, lets go...Zac. Josh, we'll call you when we're ready."

Both Robbie and the other guy walked off and entered one of the sets and disappeared.

Chuck looked at the man he now knew was named Josh and said.

"Well, Josh, I need to get to makeup so..."

"Well buddy, just watch out, Adam and Yvonne are in there, and Adam is not happy about the delay...had some plans with his family this afternoon and he's already in 'Casey' mode."

Chuck thanked him and walked towards the direction that Josh had jerked his head. Now he knew that the name of the 'Casey' character was Adam, and he was thinking that this Yvonne was the actress who played Sarah. He walked up to the trailer and climbed the steps, taking them by twos. He opened the door and walked in and saw...Sarah. He stood for a moment and just stared at her. It wasn't Sarah of course, but she looked so like his Sarah, he couldn't help but get that goofy look on his face that everyone said he got when Sarah entered the Buy More, or anytime he saw her. She was just so beautiful, he couldn't help it, and he knew he had fallen hopelessly in love with Sarah the minute he had first laid eyes on her that day she had come up to the nerd herd desk. Now he just looked at the person with love in his eyes. Both of the people there turned and looked at him and he saw a look of confusion in the eyes of the woman. Uh Oh, he'd slipped again. Casey would be laughing at him if he could see him. He had made one of the worst slips in spy work...he had given himself away. He cursed himself as he let his spy sense take over and the look on his face reverted to a neutral look. He looked at the other man and saw a small smirk on his face. He sighed and sat in the chair next to him as the older man leaned over and whisper so only Chuck could hear

"Bout time Zac."

He just shrugged and hoped that the woman hadn't really noticed his slip. If this Zac didn't feel the same about her as he did towards Sarah, he had just messed things up for him.

Yvonne looked at Zac and was shocked. Was that love in his eyes? He was looking at her like a hungry man looking at his first meal after a long fast. Did he have feeling for her that she didn't know? They did have a good onscreen chemistry, but she hadn't felt anything further from him...had she? Zac had sat down and Adam had whispered something to him that had made him blush. Had he seen it to? She began to think about this. Zac had always been attentive and sweet, but she had always thought that he treated all of them with the same care. But lately, Adam had been giving her a certain look whenever she was with Zac on set, like he knew something? Had Zac been talking to him? Did Zac...she trailed off in her thinking as she began to count the different people who would give them a sly look whenever they were together on set. Were they seeing something she was missing? She was shook out of her thoughts when she heard Sue say

"Zac...did you cut your hair?"

She turned and saw that indeed his hair was shorter. It was more professional looking...no more curls and she thought for a moment that she would miss running her fingers through those curls. Then she blushed herself and turned her face away. Now Zac said

"Um. Yeah, I got it cut. It was sort of unmanageable."

"But Zac, you shouldn't do it mid season, now we need to do something to fix it. She immediately dragged him out of the chair to the one by the sink. She lowered the chair and started to run the water. Once it was at the temperature she wanted, she began to wash his hair. Once done, she lifted the chair up and pulled out her combs and brushes and dryer and began working on his hair. After a good thirty minutes, Sue sighed and said

"Well, the back and sides are too short to really fix, but at least the front will work...I hope."

Chuck looked at himself in the mirror and thought that his hair was a little off. He had liked it when he had cut it and now he thought he looked more spy like, but with this fussing she had done, now he just looked like a...nerd again. Not that he didn't like nerds, after all he really was one, but he also liked his hair the way it was. Now instead of being comb up and off his forehead, the front was combed forward so it looked like he had more hair to flop over his forehead. It reminded him of a few years ago when he had only the Buy More to look forward to. He looked in the mirror and saw the the looks on the others faces. Sarah seemed shocked and Casey was smirking at him. The makeup person was still not too sure, so she said

"Stay right here, I'm going to talk to the director and see if this will be okay."

She turned and left and Chuck just slumped in the chair. He was messing everything up and now he was thinking it was getting worse. How was he supposed to know his hair was too short? He saw the smirk on Casey's or rather Adam's face get wider. He turned in the chair and said a little too sharply

"What's so funny?"

Adam's smile widen as he said

"Great move Zac, now tell me why you would get a hair cut in the middle of the season not to mention in the middle of an episode?"

Chuck bit his lower lip to stop from answering him. He had almost blurted out that his hair had been cut over a year ago, but that wouldn't help anything. Now he just looked at them and shrugged.

The door opened and the makeup person re-entered with Robbie on her heals. He took one look at Chuck and sighed as he said

"Okay, Zac, tell me why you would cut your hair at this point? You know the fans will notice a difference."

He turned to Sue and continued

"Have you got a wig we can use till it grows out a bit more?"

She turned and opened the cabinets above the sink and took out a couple of wigs. Chuck looked at them and started to say something, but the look on Robbie's face stopped him. Sue tried the first one on, and began styling it. After a few moments, she stepped back, and they looked at Chuck. She nodded and Robbie said

"Okay, that should do."

He looked at Zac and said

"I know you were pretty out of it yesterday due to lack of sleep, but why...sorry Zac, with this problem with the 3-D camera and now this...I don't need any more surprises okay?"

Chuck nodded and stayed silent. He wasn't too keen about wearing a wig, but he guess he could do it for now. He looked at his reflection and inwardly cringed. Now he really looked like the nerd herder he use to be.

When they finally broke for lunch, Chuck was ready. The wig was driving him crazy as it itched and he so wanted to scratch, but he just got in line to get his lunch. As he made his way down the line, he perked up a bit. These actors really ate well. He dished himself some meat loaf, mashed potatoes and some corn. He took a large roll and added some salad to his plate. Once he got to the end, he filled a glass with lemonade and then turned and followed the others to a large tent structure to find a place to sit and eat. He sat down and took a sip of his drink. Then he began to eat his meal and was unaware when someone had sat down across from him as he was so deep in thought. He jumped when he heard a grunt and looked up to see Cas...Adam sitting across from him. He was about to say something when Adam said

"Look Zac, we've been friends now for a little over two years, and I'm only going to say this once...If you like her, go after her."

"Huh?"

Chuck was slightly confused, but Adam continued

"I've seen the looks you give Yvonne...Hell almost everyone sees it. If you like her, go for it...before its too late. You know if you wait to long that moron she's dating now will win. I really like Yvonne and would rather see her with you."

Chuck was now blushing as he listened to the other man. He knew how he felt for Sarah, and he wondered if Zac felt the same way for Yvonne.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, for me it's been obvious since the second episode of season one, but I've been married for a while...Robbie sees it to, but then he's been married for a while also."

Chuck was speechless. Evidently this Zac was as bad as he was at hiding his feelings about the woman he loved. He knew he was bad at broadcasting his feelings for Sarah.

"But you need to let her know how you feel. If you don't it may be too late."

Adam now began to eat, and Chuck followed suit. Now he was formulating a plan. He was at heart a romantic, and if what Adam said was true, Zac had a crush on Yvonne, so he began thinking of a way to help the romance along. By the time lunch was over and they went back to work, a plan had formed in his head and he was going to begin his campaign this evening. He smiled to himself as he saw the woman in question standing not five feet away.

"And...cut and wrap."

The set erupted in cheers as they had finished the filming of the first 3-D TV show. It had been fun and they were glad that the network had picked them to do it.

"And we only ran over the original time I promised you would get off today by forty-five minutes. Thank you all for your hard work today, and we all want to thank Zac for knowing his lines today!"

A lot of the cast and crew laughed and Chuck looked at Josh with a confused look on his face. Josh just slapped him on the arm and said

"He got all his sleep last night, so he wasn't sleep deprived or running on coffee all day."

Chuck decided that something must have happened yesterday, so he just grinned and shrugged, but as they all began streaming off the set, he got a lot of slaps on his back and many 'that's okay' to let him know that Zac was a favorite on the set. As the crowd of crew members thinned, Chuck looked to see if he could see Yvonne. After scanning the set, he saw her sitting in her chair. He walked over to her and when he was standing in front of her, she looked up. He smiled at her and sat in the chair next to her, which just happened to be his.. er.. Zac's. She looked at him expectantly and he cleared his throat then said

"Uh Yvonne, I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight?"

Chuck had used his long breaks this afternoon to do a little spy work and had found out that her relationship was on rocky ground. He'd also used the laptop in Zac's trailer to scout out a nice out of the way restaurant that served good old diner food that he hoped she'd like. Just a causal date with two friends that he hoped to bring closer together. He had also found out that the boyfriend was out of town doing an acting job in Canada. It seemed he was a actor although not a very successful one.

"Nothing at all Zac, why?"

She had slipped into her Aussie accent, and Chuck thought it was cute.

"Well, I found this really great diner type restaurant and thought maybe you'd like to have dinner with me?"

He raised his eyebrows and did the 'Bartowski' eyebrow dance at her. It always worked with Sarah. Yvonne just laughed and said

"Sure Zac I'd love to have dinner with you. What time?"

"Well I thought we could go in my limo and then my driver could take you home ofter?"

He had found out that she had also been driven by a limo.

She looked at him as she said

"Only if the place is causal, my jeans and shirt are not dressy."

"Sure...sure not dressy at all. My outfit will not be fancy either."

He stood and reached for her hand and said

"Meet you in twenty?"

She nodded and stood enjoying the feel of his hand.

"I'll just change and meet you at the parking lot."

She turned and walked towards her trailer, not knowing that the man she thought was Zac had another goofy grin on his face as he watched her go.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Sorry to take so long on this had a few personal problems that needed attention and I've hit a brick wall on where this is going. I've seemed to gotten no inspiration lately. But I will finish it. One of my pet peeves is an unfinished story. If you have any ideas on where this should end, let me know. Again, sorry this chapter has taken so long to update.**

Chapter 6

It had been over two days now since Zac found himself in this particular reality, and he was not getting anywhere near figuring out what had happened. The more he thought about it, the more he got a headache. So he had stopped thinking about it and decided to just wait. But he was bored. He had always been the type of person to be doing something. Even as a child, he had been active. He had done acting, sports and of course he played games. But right now he felt so helpless.

He didn't have the intersect, and he was a little afraid that some mission may come up, and the General would want him to flash, and he wouldn't be able to. But deep down, he kind of hoped something would come up. Maybe he wasn't really a spy or even an asset, but at least it would be exciting. He wasn't thinking of how dangerous it would be, with bad guys galore. On the show, he was able to do more now, but of course, the stunt guys got to do the dangerous things, like falling off a tall building or getting hung upside down by your ankles.

He was sitting on the couch in Casey's apartment, flipping through the TV channels, when the door opened and Casey walked in. He looked up and smiled at the older man and said

"Hi Casey."

He had, in the last couple of days, gotten to know the NSA agent a little better, and he was beginning to realize that the gruff exterior was just that...inside he was a softie. Casey just gave him a grunt, and again Zac thought of Adam. They were so alike, that again he wondered if this parallel reality was just the people he knew who had taken different paths? But then he thought that it was just a different reality and the people here were just like twins of the people he knew. It really kind of scared him to think that they all had doppelgangers and that they did everything that their show portrayed. It actually was kind of weird. How could someone come up with a show concept and then he found himself in that reality. It really had to be a dream, and he hoped that he would soon wake up.

Casey looked at the nerd and said

"Where's Walker?"

"She's in the bedroom...don't know what she's doing though."

Casey moved through the hall and stopped in front of the bedroom door. He stood for a moment and then knocked and said

"You decent Walker?"

He opened the door and went in. Sarah was sitting on the bed in her sweats and had a pile of folders on the bed with her. Several were open and she seemed to be engrossed in the one she was looking at.

"What are you doing Walker?"

Casey was looking at the mess on his bed. She looked up and said

"I was just going over some of our past missions."

She closed the one she was looking at and put it down as she looked up at her partner. Casey sat down on the end of the bed and asked

"Why? We finished the reports and..."

"I was just thinking of Chuck. What happens if we can't figure out how to get this situation fixed? What happens if we never get..."

She trailed off and Casey could swear he saw tears in her eyes. She was really missing the moron. He was well aware of the attraction between the two, and he had to admit that he was also fond of the kid, but he'd never admit it to Walker. He knew what she meant. He would miss him too, and what would the government do without the intersect? And how would an actor fit into it? The truth was, that he would probably wouldn't and the government would most likely give the kill order. But that was something Casey couldn't or wouldn't do. Somehow he'd have to find a way to get Zac to disappear without killing him. It wasn't the kid's fault that he had somehow ended up in a life he didn't belong in.

"Casey, how are we going to find a way to get Chuck back and get Zac back to his life?"

Casey just grunted and then said

"I think it's time to call in the expert. It's time to try and contact Orion."

Sarah looked at him a moment and then said

"Chuck's dad? Do you think he would know how to help? Do you think he's still out there somewhere?"

Chuck's dad had been under the radar for some time now, but Sarah knew he still got in contact with Ellie. Maybe they needed to bring Ellie in on this. Ellie had an uncanny knack at figuring out problems and had actually discovered that their dad had been working on the intersect project. She even now knew that Chuck had been in the spy world for four years. She had been very upset with Devon for not letting her know that her little brother was involved with something so dangerous.

"Maybe we need to bring Ellie and Devon in on this?"

Casey only nodded and as he got up, he said

"Let's get them over here tonight then."

They both left the bedroom to go see how their guest was doing and to let him know what they were planning.

It was after seven and both Ellie and Devon were now siting on the couch in Casey's living room and staring at the person that looked so like their Chuck. The resemblance was uncanny, but as Ellie watched him, she began to see the small differences. This man didn't seem to be as self conscious of himself. He seemed much more relaxed at being stared at or being the center of attention as if he was used to it, not like Chuck who seemed to squirm if he drew any attention to himself. Finally Ellie said

"You really aren't my baby brother are you?"

He looked at her apologetically and said

"No, I'm just an actor who is in a show on TV."

He shrugged as he looked at the woman across from him. She looked so much like Sarah Lancaster that it wasn't even funny. And her husband...just like Ryan. But, he was beginning to see slight differences in mannerisms. He was beginning to see the individuals as just that. Even though they looked like the people he had left behind, they weren't those people. Once again he thought of Chuck in his world and wondered how he was adapting. As he looked at the four people in the room with him, he suddenly felt overwhelmed and he lowered his head to rest in his hands. He then realized how really lonely he was. All his friends were back in that other reality...his reality. He didn't belong here. He realized he wanted nothing more than to be back in his reality...his home.

It was then he felt a gentle hand lightly touch his shoulder and he looked up into the eyes of his 'sister' She smiled at him and said

"Don't worry Zac, I'm sure my father can figure this out. Even though he is a bit...eccentric, he has a way of fixing things."

She saw the tears bright in his eyes and knew he was having a hard time with the situation and she again thought of Chuck, and wondered how he was holding up to the situation. She didn't even know if he had anyone to lean on. She hoped so. She knew that her little brother had come a long way in the last four years, but she still worried about him. Now, Zac was rubbing his eyes and seem embarrassed at the slip.

"Sorry, but my emotions have always been close to the surface..."

Now Sarah sat on the other side of him and said

"Don't worry Zac, I'm sure Orion will be able to help."

Ellis stood and said

"I need to call the paper and get that ad in to contact him."

She walked over to Casey's phone and picked up it up. After a couple of moments, she hung up and said

"There, its placed. Now we only have to wait twenty four hours, and we'll have my dad here to help."

Devon just smiled and said

"Awesome babe."

She said it with so much conviction that Zac began to believe it. Maybe with any luck, he'd be home in a few days. He certainty hoped so.

The restaurant was nice and Chuck was enjoying the meal with Yvonne. She was so much like his Sarah but as he got to better know her, he could see the slight differences. Yvonne was just as beautiful, but she lacked the CIA persona that his Sarah had. She was of course more talkative than Sarah, and she seemed to be enjoying his company. They were enjoying a piece of pie that they were sharing when she said

"Zac, why haven't you ever invited me to dinner before?"

"Um, I guess because you were involved with someone else?"

He really didn't know what to say. She looked at him an smiled as she said

"Well, I'm glad you did. I've really enjoyed myself and this pie is delicious."

She took another bite, and then continued in her Aussie accent

"But I need to stop eating it, to many calories!"

He just grinned and said

"You look beautiful, you don't need to worry about calories."

She put her fork down and rolled her eyes at him and said

"Well you know what they say, the camera puts ten pounds on you!"

She leaned back and sighed. It was obvious that she had truly enjoyed herself tonight.

Chuck just looked at her and smiled and said

"Well on you those ten pounds would look fantastic."

She was pleased with the compliment, and smiled back at him. She was truly enjoying the evening and his company more than she wanted to admit. She had known him now for two years and she really hadn't thought of him as more than a friend. But tonight, she began to think of him a little differently. Maybe it was something more than friendship?She wasn't sure, but it was something she would not dismiss. She decided she'd like to get to know him much better.

It had been a little over twenty four hours, and Ellie had finally gotten an answer from her ad. Her father was on his way and soon, she hoped that she would get her brother back. The message her father had sent was short...

'_Interesting...be there soon'_

She just hoped her dad could help. She was busy with the dishes when she heard the knock on the door. Taking the towel to wipe her hands, she went to open the door, and saw her father standing there with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He was wearing an old baseball cap and sunglasses that almost hid his face. He smiled and said

"Hello Eleanor."

He stepped in and after depositing the bag at his feet, he took her in an bear hug.

"Oh dad, I'm so glad you could come, I'm so worried about Chuck."

He stepped back and after removing the sunglasses said

"Now, tell me about this situation...What's happened to Charles?"

Ellie began to cry as she explained everything that she knew about the situation as her dad listened to the story. He seemed quite intrigued with the concept of someone else so like his son being here instead of Chuck. It was something he was sure he could fix if he could only determine what had happened. Why was someone from a seemingly different reality in this one? How had he changed places with Charles? How was Charles doing? Was he okay and most importantly, was he trying to figure out a way to return? He knew his son was extremely smart and that he was probably working on something to figure out what had happened. Right now though, the situation demanded that he meet this person who had taken his son's place and get all the information he could on what exactly happened. When Ellie finished he stood and taking her hand he said

"Come on Eleanor, I want to meet this man and see if I can get all the details."

She stood too and nodded as she said

"He's at Casey's."

They left her apartment and walked across the courtyard to Casey's apartment, but before she knocked she said to her dad

"Dad, he's so much like Chuck...he looks just like him and he even sounds like him...it's weird...but he seems like a nice person and he just wants to go home...and I want our Chuck back."

Orion just nodded and said

"I know and I'll do all I can to do that."

She took a deep breath and knocked on Casey's door. After a moment, the door opened and Orion was face to face with what looked like his son. He almost took him in his arms for a hug, but then he stopped as he looked deeper into the eyes of this man. It was something in those eyes that stopped him. They were looking at him with recognition but also what looked like loneliness. It was almost like this man had met him before, but that couldn't have happened. He had to remember that this was not his Charles. The man stepped back to let them enter and then looked somewhat embarrassed as he said

"Sorry, you just look like the actor who plays my dad on the show and..."

Zac trailed off as he let them in. Ellie just laid her hand on his arm and said

"This is my father Stephen Bartowski and he is here to try and help get you back to your own reality."

Zac reached out to shake his hand and said

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Bartowski, my name is Zachary Levi, and I'm not sure how all this happened..."

Again he trailed off and turned his head slightly as he began to get a little too emotional. Orion just smiled and said

"It's nice to meet you also. I hope that we can somehow get you back to where you belong...and get my son back here."

Ellie looked around and said

"Where are John and Sarah?"

They had left only twenty minuets ago for something they wouldn't tell him about, but he had an idea it had something to do with the spy world.

"Uh, they said they had something to attend to and told me that under no circumstances was I to set foot outside of the apartment."

He looked a little contrite, but Orion understood that they were doing their best to protect him. He had no intersect and no spy training. They went to the couch and as Ellie went into the kitchen to start some coffee, both Zac and Orion sat down. Orion looked at Zac and said

"Okay, tell me everything you remember about how you got here."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After Zac had told Orion everything he could remember, he saw the look on the man's face and felt his own face fall. The look told him that the older man had no real idea how to get him home. Ellie had already gone back to her apartment and had left the two men alone.

"You really have no idea how to help do you?"

Steven had been quiet for a moment but the words drew him back as he looked at the young man who so resembled his son. He felt bad that he had no real idea how to help. How did you reverse a happening that had switched two people in their realities? He took a deep breath and smile at the young man and said

"Don't worry, we'll find some way to reverse this."

Zac just sighed and said

"I hope so."

He looked at the older man and grinned as he said

"I really would like to get back to my life and I'm sure you'd like to get your son back."

Zac knew that Sarah and Casey would like to get Chuck back too.

Steven nodded as he turned and got his computer out and opened it. After it had booted up, he began entering data and watched as the screen began to scroll information across it.

It had been over an hour that Steven had been tinkering with his computer and he seemed no closer to a solution. It was frustrating him and he was sure that if he could just get a handle on the problem he would be able to find a solution. The scientist in him was intrigued at the possibilities this brought up, but the father in him only wanted to get this man back and his son home. He closed his eyes and thought of his son. He'd tried to be a good dad, but when he began working on the intersect for the government, it became clear he'd have to disappear to protect his family. After Mary had gone under deep cover to help get Hartley back from what the intersect had done to him as Agent X, he had tried to be both mother and father to his kids, but it just didn't work. As he worked on the intersect, he had tested it on himself and luckily he hadn't gone over the edge. Then he had come into his lab and seen Chuck sitting in front of the computer with that look on his face and seeing the words on the screen that said download complete, he knew he'd have to leave. The last thing he wanted was for his kids to get mixed up in the spy game. But no matter how he had tried to protect them, Chuck had downloaded the intersect and had become involved. Now, he seemed more and more comfortable in that role, and he had to admit, that he was proud of him and Ellie. Both had turned out great. He pulled himself out of thoughts of the past and began to work on the current situation.

Chuck was sitting in the living room of the house that belonged to Zac. He was deep in thought and seemed a million miles away. He had been here for a week now, and he was no closer to a solution. He just knew that he wanted to go home. He missed Sarah,Morgan and Casey...Casey with his grunts. He had even numbered the grunts to a system that he felt were the meaning of each grunt. He smiled to himself as he thought of the NSA agent. When he had first met him, he had scared him. He was sure he had been sent to kill him, but thankfully Sarah had run interference for him. Now, he counted Casey as a good friend and confidante. Maybe not as close as Morgan but still a good friend.

He wondered what they were doing right now. Were they on a mission, and did his doppelganger have the ability to do it? He sighed as he picked up the remote to change the channel. But nothing on TV was holding his interest. He was worried about how he'd get back home. Could he get use to this kind of life if he had to stay here? Would he be flashing on things? He got a thoughtful look and realized that he hadn't flashed since he found himself here. He wrinkled his brow and thought about it for a moment...he hadn't. He again picked up the remote and switched to a news channel and began watching. After several stories had been shown, he still hadn't flashed on anything. He tried to flash, but nothing happened. Did the intersect not work here? As he tried to bring one on, he realized that nothing was going to happen. It was as if he no long had it in his brain. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. The intersect had been so much a part of his life for the last four years,and he was even getting use to having it that now he felt a little naked without it. He wondered if it had transferred to Zac and now he would have it? He felt like that guy in that show he and Morgan had never missed watching, Quantum Leap. He chuckled to him self...yeah I'm Dr Sam Beckett...leaping into people's life to put right what once when wrong. Now he laughed and said to himself

"Get a grip,Chuck. This is not a TV show, and I'm not someone who goes leaping around into other people!"

He had to be tired if he was thinking that way. He looked at the clock and saw it was just a little after eight pm and he again began channel surfing. As he did, he noticed that the face on the screen was his...or rather Zac's. It must be the show. He decided to watch and see how his life was being portrayed. He settled back into the recliner and turned his attention to the TV.

Steven had been working on his equations for over three hours and was getting tired. He thought he was on to something, but he wanted to check his data. Casey and Sarah had come home over and hour ago, and they were all in the kitchen getting dinner ready. He could hear the conversation, but didn't pay attention to what they were saying. He kept staring at the screen knowing he was missing something, but what? He'd gotten all the info from Zac about what had happened just before he found himself here, so what was he missing? He thought about it for a few more minutes and then it struck him. Getting up, he walked into the kitchen and found that Sarah was just putting the finishing touches on the salad. Casey was bending over the oven to take the meat loaf out and placing it on the counter top. Zac was getting the plates out of the cabinet.

"Sarah, Casey tell me exactly what happened just before Zac arrived."

Sarah turned to look at Chuck's father with a look of confusion on her face and said

"What do you mean?"

Steven sighed and backed up in his question and said

"I need to know the exact conditions that were at play the moment Chuck left and what happened just after."

Sarah thought for a moment, and then said

"Well, we were in Castle and we had just finished a mission. Casey had just returned from putting the guns up and Chuck had sat down at the table."

Steven nodded and continued

"Did you notice any difference in Charles' behavior?"

Sarah wasn't sure what he meant

"I'm not sure..."

Casey cut in and said

"He was exhausted...said he hadn't slept well and was looking forward to some rest."

Now that Sarah thought back, she could remember that Chuck looked bad, and on the ride back to Castle he had been very quite. Once they were there, he had quietly sat down and...and...he had gone to lay his head down on the table and had accidentally gotten a static electric shock from the table. She remembered that he had jumped, and then it looked like he had flashed, and then...

"He got a shock from the table, or..."

Now Casey again spoke up and said

"It was the computer...he touched it as he started to lay his head down...must of been a good one, he jumped like a shot."

Steven was now smiling as he said

"We can do this. Zac told me he was also quite tired and he hadn't slept much the night before. I think that was the catalyst. The fact that they were both tired and the shock of static electricity must have caused the switch!"

He went back into the living room and began typing data into the computer. After a few moments, he said

"I think I know how to do the switch but its going to take a few days to set this up."

He had saved his data and shut the laptop down and placed it back into his case. He turned to the others and smiled again. For the first time in three hours, he felt that he would be able to do this. He would be able to send this young man home and retrieve his son. It was a good feeling.

TBC

**A/N Sorry to take so long to update, but to be honest, I wasn't sure how to get them back to their lives. I though about it for a long time and decided I wanted to get Orion in on it(cause I really like Scott Bakula) I didn't just want to have them just return by themselves. I apologize for making you wait so long and I only plan one more chapter, so I'm getting ready to wrap it up. I'll try not to make you wait too long. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed and to those who have read but not reviewed.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It had taken Orion four days to set everything up. He had gone back to his cabin in the middle of nowhere and spent nearly fifteen hours a day working on his theory. He wasn't one hundred percent sure it would work, but he was sure he hadn't missed anything. Now all they needed was to get everyone here to run it. With any luck, he'd have the young man back to his reality and have his son home.

Slowly, he climbed the stairs back up into the cabin's main room. He touched the control to close the trap door and then went to the desk that held his computer and sat down in front of it and began to type in the message he was sending to Eleanor. Once he had it composed to his liking, he sent it and then leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Soon he knew he'd get his reply and then within hours, they'd be here. Then with luck, he'd get things back to normal. He let his mind drift as he began thinking of his son and the events in his life that had brought him to the life he now had as a spy...

Chuck was sitting in 'his' trailer on the lot and half dozing as he waited for the next call. He had been thinking all morning about how he hadn't flashed on anything and wondering if he still had the intersect or if it had transferred to Zac. If it had transferred, he wondered if he was dealing with it? He remembered how unsettled he'd been when he'd first downloaded it from that email Bryce had sent him, and how out of place he'd felt at first. He could only hope that it was helping the actor if he had to go on a mission. He wondered how Casey and Sarah were handling it? Surely they knew that he wasn't there... right? As he thought about it he began to wonder if they missed him? Then it hit him...what if they didn't know it wasn't him? What if they thought that Zac was him? What if Zac thought he could be a spy? He frowned as he thought of it. Could he fool his friends? He probably could since he was an actor. But certainly his friends and family would see it wasn't really him... right?

As he thought of his family, he began to get a lump in his throat. He missed them all a lot...And Sarah, he really missed her. He knew that he had been hopelessly in love with her the first time he had laid eyes on her when she had walked into the Buy More and up to the Nerd Herd desk. Surely she'd know it wasn't him? What about Casey? In the last few years, they had become closer and he now trusted the big man with his life, even if he still liked to call him a moron. And Ellie? She would certainly know the difference, she had practically raised him. She would know it wasn't him.

There was a knock on the door that pulled him out of this train of thought and he rose to open the door. He was met by a face he wasn't sure who it was, but he remembered seeing him on the set. He smiled at the man hoping he'd tell him it was time to get back to work, as he was not wanting to continue his thoughts.

"Zac, sorry to bother you, but I wanted to let you know that they are having a problem with the lighting and there's going to be a delay, so they wanted me to tell you that you will not be needed back till after lunch break."

Looking at his watch, the man continued

"So it looks like you've got a little over three hours free...enjoy."

He turned and headed towards the next trailer. Chuck sighed. He was used to more activity and this sitting around waiting for things to be set up was getting old. He thought to himself that he was glad he wasn't an actor in real life...how boring it was. He shut the door and looked around the spacious trailer. What now? He still had two hours till they brought in lunch. He went back and sat down on the oversized couch that took up one end of the trailer. Maybe he'd read for a while. He picked up the worn paperback sitting on the table and began to flip though the pages. It was obvious it had been read many times, as the pages were worn and slightly yellowed with age. He settled back and rested his head on the pillow and began reading about a long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

It didn't take long for the book to slowly drop to his chest as he drifted off to sleep.

Ellie had received her fathers message and replied back that they would be there in a couple of hours. She and Devin had bundled up Clare and were just going over to get the others when there was a knock on the front door. Devin answered and saw Morgan standing there. Morgan looked relieved as he said

"Hey, man, have you seen Chuck? He doesn't answer his phone, and he hasn't shown up at the Buy More for over two weeks now, Big Mike is having a cow, says he's not putting up with Jeff and Lester anymore with out Chuck's help."

"Uh..."

But before Devin could continue, Ellie came to his side and looked Morgan straight in the eye and said

"Not now Morgan, we haven't got time..."

She grabbed Devin by the arm with her free hand and shifted her daughter on her hip as she went out the door,followed by her husband. Across the courtyard, the door to Casey's apartment opened and Casey came out and walked up to the trio and said

"We're ready..."

He then looked down at Morgan and grunted and said

"What are you doing here?"

Morgan tried to stand as tall as he could and looked at the man he knew as one of Chuck's handlers and said

"Big Mike sent me to get Chuck...said he didn't care if he was sick...that he needed him at the store to deal with Jeff and Lester..."

Casey grunted and said

"Well, I suggest you go back and tell Big Mike that Chuck is still sick and can't be there today."

As an afterthought he grabbed Morgan's green shirt at the neckline and drew him closer and continued

"I also suggest that you keep those two morons in line till tomorrow...understand?"

He let go of Morgan who straighten out the neckline of the green shirt he wore and said

"You're going on a mission right? Come on guys, I can help."

He looked from one to the other. Then he saw the door to the apartment open and Sarah and Chuck walked out, but neither seemed dress for a mission. He ducked around Casey and went to Chuck and said

"Hey buddy, you going on a mission? Aw come on, I can help...you know how much I want to help?"

The look on his face was like a puppy dog and he looked pleading at Sarah. She looked at Casey who was now right behind him, the look on his face was ready to do some harm to Morgan. She caught his eye and shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to see Morgan hurt and she knew Casey was at his last straw. She glanced at Ellie and Devin and was glad when they both came over and Ellie said to Morgan

"You know, Morgan, we could really use you're help."

Casey just rolled his eyes and grunted even louder as he looked at Ellie. But she just continued as Morgan's face lit up

"You could really help us by going back to the Buy More and keeping Big Mike occupied so Chuck wouldn't have to worry about the store."

She raised her eyebrows at him. He thought a moment and then a sly smile crossed his lips as he nodded

"Yeah, I can be you're contact back at the store...I can keep Big Mike occupied and..."

Now Sarah pitched in and said

"Great Morgan...do you think you could do that for us?"

She gave him her bright Sarah smile that always seem to get to him. He looked at her and said

"Sure Sarah...anything to help you and Chuck take care of business."

He sided up to Zac and said

"Han Solo to the rescue!"

Casey only grunted louder and rolled his eyes again at the moron and gave him a small shove towards the parking lot and his bike that he had left leaning against the corner of the building. They all breathed a sigh of relief as Morgan got on the bike and began to peddle back to the store, humming the theme to Star Wars as he went.

It had taken them about an hour and forty five minutes to get to Orion's cabin and now they were all down in the secret part of the basement. Zac was standing and looking at the weird contraption that was hooked up and seemed to be giving off a hum. He wasn't sure he really wanted to go through with this. He did want to return to his life and right now that was the only thing that was keeping him grounded. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and turned to see Sarah smiling at him. He tried but failed miserably at returning the smile. It was obvious he was scared of what was about to happen, she could see it in his eyes.

"Don't worry Zac, if anyone can do this it's Chuck's dad. I know he'd do nothing to hurt either of you."

Zac just nodded but he couldn't take his eyes off the equipment in front of him. It still worried him. Steven saw the look on Zac's face and came over and also laid a hand on his shoulder and said

"It will be okay, I won't do anything that would harm you. It may not be pleasant, but no permanent harm will come to you or my son."

He patted his shoulder and went to check on the connections. Now they all came and stood next to the young actor and said how much they had enjoyed meeting someone so much like their Chuck. He tried to smile but only managed a weak grin.

"Thanks it was good meeting you all too."

He saw the genuine smiles on there faces and heard the grunt from Casey, who was only slightly grinning. At last he looked at baby Clare as she gave him a toothless grin. She thought that he really was her Uncle Chuck and he really grinned at her as he walked over to the baby who was nestled in the car seat she sat in. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek as she giggled and held out her hands to him. He took one and began to wave it a bit as he said

"Good bye little one...you'll soon have your real Uncle back...I hope."

She just gurgled at him, smiling that toothless grin at him. He straightened up and turned back to the others. Ellie had tears in her eyes as she said

"Good bye Zac, I hope you have a happy life."

She took him into a bear hug and rocked him for a moment as she would Chuck when he was troubled. Then she let go and smiled at him. Devin shook his hand and bid him good bye. He turned to Casey and Sarah and just looked at them. They had done their best to help him through this and he was grateful. He held out his hand to Casey and waited for the older man to shake his hand. After a moment, he did and grunted to him

"See that you get more sleep...no need to be going off into some other reality."

Then as Casey shook the hand of the actor, he placed his other hand on his shoulder. He then turned away and seem to clear his throat. Now Sarah also took him into a hug and lightly kissed him on his cheek as she said softly

"I hope you have a good life...and I hope you'll finally tell her you love her."

She had moved back to see his face and he didn't disappoint her. The look on his face was priceless and he began to blush and then softly he said

"How did you know?"

She again gave him that smile that could light up the basement and said

"You have a habit of talking in your sleep...that night...you said a lot that I'm sure you haven't voice out loud to her. Don't let her slip through your fingers, Zac, tell her how you feel."

He just stared at her for a moment and then he nodded and again she place a soft kiss on his cheek and whispered in his ear

"Good luck."

Again he nodded and then turned to Orion and said

"Okay, I think I'm ready."

Steven nodded and took his hand and also shook it and said

"I want to say it's been a pleasure to meet you and I also hope you have a good life."

He guided him over to the chair and Zac sat down and waited for the inevitable. It took a couple of minutes to hook everything up and when it was done, he felt like Frankenstein. He heard the sound of that hum get louder and soon it seemed to be too loud. He suddenly felt a tingle of what seemed like electricity and then suddenly he felt to shock and he looked down and thought he saw a glow envelop his body, like a blueish white glow. He looked up and saw the people and saw the look of amazement on their faces. Then he really felt a big bolt and his eyes got wide for a moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and his head lulled to the right and he lost consciousness.

Orion had seen the change and knew it had worked. The man now sitting in the chair was his son. He rushed to him and disconnected him and took his head in his hands and turned his face to his and said softly

"Charles...Chuck can you hear me?"

Chuck was disoriented. What had happened? Where was he? He wasn't in the trailer anymore but someplace that was darker. Had he been captured on a mission and now in the hands of the bad guys? He tried to shake his head to clear the cobwebs out, but someone was holding him still. Who? He heard a voice and was aware that he knew it. It was his...father?

"Dad?"

He was groggy and not sure who else was there but he was sure his dad was here. He heard a chuckle and his father said

"Yes Charles, its me. You're home again and safe."

"Home?"

Suddenly it all began to come back to him. He had changed places with an actor who looked just like him and he... He opened his eyes and saw his father in front of him. And he got the biggest grin on his face as he wrapped his long arms around his father and hugged him. After a moment he said

"Dad, you'll never believe what happened to me..."

Before he could continue, he heard a familiar grunt and turned to see his 'family' there

"Guys...guys you'll never believe the weird dream I had. I had changed places with this other guy who was an actor and he played in a show about...us. It was weird and they were spy's and they stopped the bad guys each week. They even looked like us and acted like us...well almost and then I even got to watch the show on TV and let me tell you that it was a hoot watching them do all the things that spy's are suppose to do...Casey, you'd really like the actor who played you...even grunted like you, and the actress that played you Sarah was just as kick-ass as you are and well..."

He didn't get to finish his long winded story as Sarah took him in her arms and gave him a big bear hug and just ran her fingers through her Chuck's hair and said

"Oh Chuck, its so good to have you back...I...we all missed you."

Now Chuck pulled back and looked at her and said

"You mean it wasn't a dream?"

Now Casey just snorted and the rest of them shook their heads. He looked at his father and then said

"Oh Boy..."

Zac seemed to be floating on air. He wasn't sure where he was but it felt right. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was lying down on...the couch in his trailer...his trailer? He lifted up to his elbows and looked around. It was his trailer and he seemed to be laying down on the couch. What time was it? He looked at the clock that hung over the counter.

In what was considered a kitchenette in these trailers it had a microwave on it and a small coffee maker next to it. There was also a full size refrigerator next to the door. The clock stated it was ten fifty five and since the light was streaming in the window, it must be morning. He didn't remember coming in to work this morning and he didn't remember which show they were on. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. What had happened? As he thought, he began to remember an alternate life. One where he had switched places with...Chuck? It had to be a dream right? Was he really in an alternate reality? The more he thought about it, the more the memories came back. It was real and he had met the real people that they just portrayed. There really was a real spy world out there somewhere and they all had counterparts there. He suddenly laughed out loud at the possibilities. He was still laughing when a knock came to his door. He got up and answered it and found Yvonne standing there. He suddenly got the biggest, goofiest grin on his face as he looked at her. She truly was beautiful and at that moment he knew he had fallen in love with her and that he would do anything in his power for her. She looked up at him and got a smile on her face and he saw something in her eyes that he hadn't seen before. Was Sarah right? Did she also have feeling for him? His smile became broader as he said

"Yvonne..."

Her heart just did a flip flop as she looked at him. He was so handsome and she loved it when he really broke out in his wide smile. His nose would wrinkle and the joy in his eyes was breathtaking. And the way he had just said her name...

"Zac, I just came to invite you to eat lunch with me...they think we should be ready in a couple of hours so we should have some time to eat and talk..."

She let her sentence end with a note of longing in her voice. Zac's heart also did a flip flop as he stepped down to join her. He looked deep into her eyes and said

"Sure, it would be a pleasure to join you."

After a split second, he took her hand and together they walked towards the tent the cast and crew used for meals, lost in each others presence and not noticing the looks and smiles that came there way.

Chuck and Sarah sat by the fountain in the courtyard in each others arms enjoying the night and each other. They had talked a bit about what had happened and now they were just enjoying their closeness. After a moment Sarah said

"I hope Zac is enjoying a moment of closeness with the actress whom he was so smitten with."

She turned and looked at Chuck and continued

"He told me how much he likes her and how he wants to get closer to her."

Chuck smiled and said

"Oh, I think it might work out."

He had a bit of mirth in his voice as he said it. Sarah looked at him and said

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Well just that the guy that plays Casey told me that Zac had a huge crush on Yvonne and that he better do something soon, so I figured that he needed a little push, so I just helped him a bit."

Now he was smiling widely and looking at Sarah. She looked back at him and said

"What did you do?"

"Oh not much, I just invited her out to dinner and we had a long talk. I found out she feels the same way about him but has never told him and I might have given her a kiss...But..."

Before he could finish, Sarah had placed her finger to his lips and said seductively

"So you just sort of helped it along huh?"

She leaned in and gave him a soulful kiss. He responded and they were in an embrace for a few moments. When they pulled out for air, she said with a smile on her face

"And I forgive you for that kiss..."

Chuck grinned and once again went in for the kill.

The End

**A/N Hope you all liked it. It took me long enough! I just couldn't figure out how I wanted it to end. But I think it ended well. Again thanks to all who read and reviewed. Reviews are like gold to the writer. And to those who just read thanks and I hope you enjoyed it.**


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